System of dehydbation



Oct. 27, 25. 1,558,741

J. A. MARTOCELLO SYSTEM OF DEHYDRATI ON Oct. 27, 1925.

1,558,741 J. A. MARTOCELLO SYSTEM OF DEHYDRATION Filed Nov. 14. 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Oct. 27, 2 1,558,741

J. A. MARTOCELLO SYSTEM OF DEHYDRATI ON Filed Nov. 14, L923 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Oct. 27, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SYSTEM or DEHYYDBATION.

Application filed November 14, 1923. Serial- No. 674,749.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Josnrn A. MABTO- CELLO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful System of Dehydration, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to dehydrating systems for removal of moisturefrom air for whatever purpose and to connections and mechanisms by which the dehydrated air may be utilized in raw water ice manufacture.

The main purpose of my invention is to avoid undue dilution of brine used for dehydrating air by cooling the air out of contact with brine, so far as can be done without undue accumulation of frost, before the air is brought into direct contact with the brine.

A further purpose is to perform the cooling within the dehydrator by a brine surface condenser whose brine pool receives the falling brine from a spray above the pool, and to use the spray, and preferably also impact of the air against the turbulent surface of the pool, to perform further dehydration.

A further purpose is to discharge the air to be dehydrated directly against a brinecooled plate.

A further purpose is to bring the air down to approximately the freezing point out of contact with the brine, avoiding excessive deposit of frost in the passages, and then to bring it into intimate contact with the brine having a temperature below the freezing point of water.

A further purpose is to discharge the air from which a large part of the moisture has been removed against a brine surface and to render the surface more effective by brine spray .falling into the surface.

A further purpose is to cool the air to approximately freezing by a surface condenser,

which may be a Wholly separate condenser, multi-tubular or of other character, before bringing the air into contact with the brine.

A further purpose is to utilize a turbulent brine pool upon which the air is discharged and to reflect the air upwardly to its final discharge through a spray of brine falling into the pool.

A further purpose is to pass cooled air from which part of the moisture has been separated downwardly through pipes in which brine is being sprayed and to discharge the air preferably lipon the surface of the brine to pass umvardly through the brine spray to its discharge.

Further purposes will appear in the specification and in the claims. I

My invention relates to the processes involved aswvell as to mechanism of which one example is given and by which the process may be carried out.

Figure l is a perspective view showing the parts of a raw water ice system in position.

Figure 2 is a central vertical section upon hne 22 of Figure 4, showing my dehydrator.

Figure 3 is a section taken of Figure 4.

Figure 4 is a top plan view of my dehydrator.

F lgure 5 is a side elevation, partly broken away showing a modified form of dehydrator.

The dehydration of air intended to be used for many purposes, including that for use in air pipes for stirring the water in raw water ice tanks, is of course old. However, previous dehydrators have had serious disadvantages, particularly from frosting shut of air passages, and a spare set of tanks and tubes or of tubes for tanks has, in conseupon line 3 3 quence, very generally been needed because the air tubes fill up with frost from the congealing of moisture within the air passages.

My invention is therefore primarily directed to securing special efiiciency as well as simplicity in the dehydration.

In Figure 1 I have shown a perspective view of a raw water ice system for the purpose of indicating the relations between the several parts and the setting of the individual parts. In this perspective View the air system comprises the compresser 15 delivering to a reservoir 16 through oil separator 17 and thence, through a pipe 18 from the reservoir to any intercooler conventionally illustrated at 19 by which the temperature of the air is reduced to say 70 by water cooling. From the intercooler the air passes through a pipe 18' to the dehydrator 20, thence through pipes 21, 22 to a header 23 and to the air laterals.

out my illustration hand valves are withdrawn core water.

This line is by-passed about the dehydrator by a pipe 24 valved at 25. Througaly cated by reference 25.

At suitable points on the discharge side of -the dehydrator I place high pressure gauge 26 and low pressure gauge 27, both preferably recording, on opposite sides of pressurereducing valve 28.

In the particular system shown the connections from the header are made to laterals 29 by valved couplings and flexible pipes. The connection to the air tubes is made by pipes 33. By-pa-ss 34 affords a more direct connection to pipe 23.

The raw water used may initially not be filtered. During the freezing the impurities are pushed toward the center and the core of water, which is high in impurities, is pumped out b pump 35.

Fresh raw water rom thecity supply is passed through filters 36 and replaces the The core water is withdrawn through pipes 37, 37 and hose 38 and the water, initially and for core replacement may be furnished through pipes 39, 39 and hose 40.

The water for initially filling the cans may be taken directly from the supply through pipes 41 connecting with pipe 39. However, core replacement water passing through the filter is discharged from it through pipes 42, 43 to intercooler conventionally shown at 44 and back through pipe 45 to pipe 39. The intercooler may be bypassed at 46 in winter if desired.

A brine pump for the dehydrator is shown at 47 and the ammonia discharge and return pipes are shown at 48 and 49.

The dehydrator shown is enclosed within a casing 50, top 51, and bottom 52. Within the lower part of the casing is located an air stand-pipe 53 enlarged at the bottom at 54 and an annular floor 55 closing thespace between the stand-pipe and the casing so as to form a brine chamber 56, above it and an air chamber 57 below it. The latter drains through the drain 58. Above the brine chamber is an air and spray space 59.

The air enters the air chamber of the dehydrator from the pipe 18 and is upwardly directed by branch pipes 60 at high velocity through relatively spaced inlet nozzles 61 against the bottom of the annular floor 55 cooled by the brine, whose temperature is below the freezing temperature of water.

ed within the air chamber by this surface condenser action, greatly lessening the drawn by direct contact with the brine and therefore greatly lessening the tendency of the dehydrator toward diluting. the brine.

The moisture from the compartment 57 is withdrawn through drain 58 and. any suitable trap 62. i

Some further cooling and condensation take place upon the cold walls of stand-pipe 53 which transmits the air through what might be called a discharge head 63 to branch air pipes 64 that pass downwardly toa discharge ring 65 above the brine surface and the air is sprayed preferably downwardly through openings 66 upon the turbulent surface of the brine. ing the turbulent surface of the brine brings the moisture of the air into intimate contact with the brine, taking out a further portion of the moisture from the air.

The air thus dried is reflected from the surface of the brine and passed upwardly through a spray of brine. As shown this spray of brine dischar es upwardly from openings 67 around a rine ring 68 supplied with brine from a pipe 69.

As the brine spray is directed upwardly opportunity is given for thorough distribution of the brine spray throughout the casmg so as to cover the entire cross section. of the casing about the stand pipe above it as uniformly as possible. The air is subjected The air strikto the spray in both upward and downward with frost. However, the pipes 64 are li ely to be stopped up by frost lfrPIOVlSlOIL be not made for clearing them and for thus reason I provide a brine pipe 76, discharging at 77 into these air pipes so that any frost in the pipes will be cleared out by solution.

Because the taking up of salt by the moisture will lower its freezing point this might be viewed also as partly a melting operation.

The brine is preferably sprayed against the outer parts of the inner walls of the pipes 64 both because this side of the pipes is most affected by falling brine spray, being on the outer side, and because the brine in running down the interior of the pipes will circulate somewhat toward the inner' outlet pipe 78 is provided with a three-way 1,eaa,741

valve 79 by which the withdrawal can be wholly out off to shut down the dehydrator, in one position of'tlie valve, or can be bypassed through pipe 80 wholly or m part in a second osition of the valve, and in the third position of the valve, provides for normal operation through the tra to ma ntain the hquid level. T e trap va ve to pipe 81 is controlled by a float 82.

When the connection is wholly closed, as in the first position, the supply of hrlne to the casing must be shut off or the casing Wlll fill up with brine.

The pipe 83 returns to the freezing floor.

The pipe 84 from the top of the trap 1s connected with the casing at 85 to equalize the pressures within the brine trap. Where a separator is used after the dehydrator, the pipe 84 may be extended to drain the separator at 86. It is convenient to provlde the pipe with suitable couplings 87. Gage glasses 88 are shown in thls pipe and opposite the brine in the condenser. A safety valve for the casing is seen at 89 and sight and hand holes appear at 90, 91.

While in Figures 1, 2 and 3 I have illustrated a self-contained two stage dehydrating unit comprising a surface condenser and a brine contact condenser withln a single casing, and much prefer this form on acthe brine by gravity count of its simplicity, compactness and efiiciency, I recognize that the broadest form of my invention would be satisfied by making the two condensers wholly separate from one another. Whether they be in one unit or separate I first reduce the air temperature ,in the surface condenser to approximately the freezing point of water and then intermingle the air with the brine in the brine condenser.

I appreciate that the surface condenser need not be of a plane or plate type but may be of any type in which the air is cooled out of contact with the cooling fluid.

In Figure 5, the dehydrator 20 is intended to be generally of the same type as that shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 but lacks the air compartment with exposed cooled metal surface for air impingement at the bottom. I have broken away the lower part of the dehydrator to show the pool 56 in the bottom 109, into which the sprayed brine falls, and the walls of the air passage 53', 54' through which the air flows to its point of discharge above the surface of the pool.

The air is passed to the dehydrator 20' through pipe 18, multi-tubular surface condenser 20 and pipe 18 The multi-tubular condenser surface is broken away to show headers 110 and pipes 111 but the structure is not intended to be restricted to type shown. I

The brine is supplied to condenser 20 directly from the condenser 20 by pipe 112 and is forced across by the air. pressure. The brine passes out through pipes ,113 and may be trapped at 114 if desired, passing thence to the tank.

I show a valved by-pass 114 by which brine can be by-passed from condenser 20 when these condensers are cooling the air below the freezing point, and thermometers 115, to watch the temperature, so as to permit control of thetemperature of the air as admitted to condenser 20', maintaining this admission temperature at any desired point, preferably close to the frosting oint. Y I p In operation the brine pump is started and brine is forced ,into the dehydrator above the annular brine pool in an u wardly directed spray which falls back into this pool. The air is admitted at the bottom of the dehydrator and is sprayed against the annular bottom wall of the brine chamber which forms a surface of a surface condenser so that the greater part of the moisture is separated out and is re moved through the trap at the bottom of the dehydrator. The air passes upwardly through the inner annular walls of the brine chamber and to a point preferably considerably above the brine chamber from which it is led down through the pipes 64 and is discharged upon the turbulent surface of the brine passing thence upwardly through both the upwardly directed brine spray and the returning (falling) spray to discharge the upper part of the dehydrator.

The removal of a very considerable part of the moisture without contact with the brine protects against excessive dilution. At the same time the temperature of the air is not lowered sufficiently by this operation to cause objectionable frost deposit in the transmission piping to the air discharge above the brine surface.

Possible entrainment of brine is avoided by the baflies with the additional protection of the separator 75.

The discharged dry air passes to the header where it is available for use in the cans and where connection with the cans is made automatically by coupling to the lateral terminals.

It will be obvious that variations and changes may be made by those skilled in the art whereby a part or all of thebenefit of my invention may be secured which appeal to particular needs or the preference or whim of individual designers and which do not copy the forms shown by me. It is my purpose to include herein all such as fall within the reasonable spirit and scope of my claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a dehydrator, an air cooler having one stage of cooling and dehydration out of direct contact with brine but in contact with walls of a brine pool to approximately the frosting point and a subsequent sta e in direct contact with brine, below the rosting point through a brine spray.

2. In a dehydrator, an aircooler having face, an exposed upper brine surface, walls forming a compartment below the metal surface, a second compartment above the exposed brine surface, a passage in between in combination with inlet pipes providing admission of air in the lower compartment discharging against the metal surface, connections for directing the air downwardly and discharging it adjacent the surface of the brine, inlet pipes producing an upwardly directed brine spray above the brine surface, trapped means for re-- moving water from the lower compartment and brine from the upper compartment.

4. In a dehydrator, a shell, means for upwardly discharging a spra of cold brine within the shell, a pool ormed by said spray, means for removing the brine falling from the spray, inlet air passages extending diagonally downward through the spray to discharge into the shell and near and above the pool, and an air outlet near the top of the shell.

5. In a dehydrator, an air cooler having a brine-free compartment for first stage cooling and dehydration, a cold brine compart ment for subsequent cooling and dehydration having a pool at the bottom whose walls provide a condenser surface in the brine-free compartment, conduit communication between the compartments, means'for flowing cold brine into and out of the brine compartment, an air outlet from the brine compartment, and means for trapping out deposited moisture from the brine-free compartment, in combination with. an air inlet having spaced nozzles directed against spaced portions of the condenser surface of the first compartment. 1

6. In a dehydrator, a casing having an air outlet and trapped brine outlet, an air inlet having its discharge directed upwardly therein, a brine-cooled surface condenser within the casing and against which the air discharges, a passage through the condenser leading the air above the condenser and within the casing, other passages lead the surface of the condenser to impinge.

against it and connections supplying brine in a spray, upwardly directed from a point near the surface of the brine.

8. In a dehydrator for air, the combination of a casing, a surface condenser in the lower part of the casing, a brine spray con-, denser in the upper part of the casing and means for supplying air delivered against the surface of the surface condenser and passed upwardly through the spray-of the brine condenser.

-9. In a dehydrator, a casing providing a brine-cooled condenser surface and having an air outlet, air inlet discharging air against the condenser surface, connections forming a passage for the air to a point above the condenser and downwardlydirected to discharge the air upon the surface of the brine and means for providing brine spray discharge through the air passing to the air outlet.

10. In a dehydrator, a brine-cooled condenser having a lower first stage compartment for dehydration above frosting out of contact with brine, a condensation drain therefor, a brine compartment above and communicating with the first stage compart ment' for additional dehydration and cooling, means for delivering cold-brine into and out ofthe brine compartment, and an air outlet from the brine compartment, in combination with means for directing the inlet air against a cold surface of the first-stage compartment and in subsequently directing it against the brine in the second compartment.

- 11. In a dehydrator for air, an annular brine surface condenser having an exposed brine surface, walls forming a passage through the condenser to a point well above the condenser, downwardly-extending air passages therefrom to a .pomt in proximity to the surface of the brine and there apertured to discharge against the brine surface, connections delivering brine above the surface of the brine and apertured to deliver it in an upwardly directed spray falling over the downwardly-extending passages,

, the pool and discharge connections in the upper part of the casing.

13. In a dehydrator for air, a surface condenser, a compartment having a pool of cooled brine in the bottom thereof, connections for discharging brine in a spra above the pool to fall into the pool and agitate its surface, connections delivering the air to be dehydrated against the surface of the con denser and subsequently discharging it downwardly against the turbulent surface of the pool, discharge connections in the upper part of the casing and bafiies in the upper part of the compartment.

14. In a dehydrator for air, a brine surface condenser in combination withla separate brine'spray condenser comprising a casing having upper outlet, connections for dis- I charging brine in a spray in the compartment, connections dehvering air from the surface condenser to the lower part'of the casing and bafiles in the upper part of the casing.

15. In a dehydrator for air, a brine surface condenser in. series with a brine spray condenser and connections for dellvermg air downwardly to the surface condenser and from it to the brine spray condenser and thence to the point of use.

I 16. In a dehydrator for air, a multi-tubu- ,lar brine surface condenser in combination wlth-a separate brlne spray condenser and means for delivering air to the niulti-tubular condenser and thence downwardly to the top of the brine surface condenser air through the brine.

17 The method of dehydrating air which consists in utilizing the metal surface of an open top liquid surface condenser to remove the most of the moisture from the air by impingement of the air against it, in utilizing an exposed liquid surface of the condenser to remove a further part of the moisture by impingement of the air against the surface an roughening the surface of the liquid of the condenser during the impin ement of the air against it by spraying liqui upon it.

'18. The method of protecting passa of air within a dehydrator from formatlon of ,frost therein which comprises passing a small quantity of brine through the passages to prevent the formation of frost.

-19. The method of dehydrating which consists in cooling the .air approximately to or above freezing and in subsequently discharging the air into and through a spray of dehydrating liquid. Y

20. The method of dehydrating air which consists in cooling the air approximatelyto to pass the thefreezing temperature out of direct oontact with dehydrating liquid, and then bringing the air socooled into intimate contact with spray containing a dehydrating liquid having a ower temperature than the freeze ing point of water.

21. The method of dehydrating air which consists in cooling the air approximately tothe freezing temperature out of direct contact with dehydrating liquid, controlling the temperature of this firststage of deh dration to avoid objectionable frosting, and bringing the air so cooled into intimate contact with spray containing a dehydrating liquid having'a lower temperature than the freezing point of water.

Jos P -AfM RTooELLo.

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